Netflix Hacked to Work on HTC Thunderbolt

Now before we get too far into this post, we should point out that this will not work for the majority of Thunderbolt owners. There are a couple of qualifications you must meet before you can even attempt this:

XDA member rmk40 created a patch for Thunderbolt owners, that will replace the “entire media library stack” of the device to a newer version to allow for Netflix to run. Once the patch is flashed, you can then load up one of the Netflix files that’s in the wild and start to enjoy a service that should have been available to your device from day 1.

1. Make a nandroid backup first.
2. Seriously, make a backup in Clockwork before proceeding.
3. Download the file from above and drop it on your SD card.
4. Boot into recovery and flash the .zip just like you would a ROM or other file.
5. Reboot your phone, install Netflix and test it.
6. If for some reason that didn’t work, try this file instead.

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Dev’s IK you are busy and all but how about some love for Xoom’s and Honeycomb 😀 Love, Me!

Alex W.

Out of curiosity, does this fix thse Tegra 2 issue? I can’t remember if the TB has T2 or not. Would LOVE Netflix on my TF.

Anonymous

tinyurl.com/4ow75ws

Cmack2850

just thought everyone should know that you don’t have to root your thunderbolt to get a working netflix apk. I have a thunderbolt and have used the netflix apk that was posted on this site a couple of days ago. It works fine.

David18ucf

Actually you do, the APK will instlal, but you wont be able to stream anything..

Anonymous

tinyurl.com/24n4nqb

ninestories

I’m all for rooting and the huge advantages to be had from doing it. It’s true that the risks involved are minimal and the gains can be immense, but telling Android supporters to buy iPhones and that they don’t deserve their Thunderbolts for not wanting to root is crossing a line. To each his own, we should say.

I know that there are huge communities of developers working tirelessly to get us access to the hottest, newest apps like Netflix, and I’m immensely grateful for that. But just like Google can’t give rooted users access to Market movie rentals (yet), Netflix is being selective about the devices it supports. Consumers need to understand there are legitimate reasons why some companies are restricting to certain handsets. Yes, it totally sucks, but I’m still not risking my Netflix membership for the immediate gratification of watching a crappy Starz! movie on my phone, nor will I use whatever hack soon comes out to grab the content mentioned above that’s being blocked from my device for being rooted.

We’re entering a new era here in mobile content delivery, and I’d hate to see it get effed up because people prove the finicky studios right. Once it gets around that all the restrictions the providers agreed to are worthless because people will just find a way around them, that content is going to get pulled and we’re all going to lose out.

Anonymous

I understand what you are trying to say…. but… I think not having a Netflix app that works on every phone is more that it is not ready. Kind of like Gingerbread should have come out to all our phones a long time ago but they have to make modifications for every phone.

Also even though we may have the Netflix app we still have to have a Netflix account to watch movies. So nothing is being stolen or found a way around…

If anything people will get the Netflix app and want to try it out and sign up for an account. That is a Netflix WIN!

Retrokid223

if you think rooting the thunderbolt is hard then you clearly do not deserve one. Just get a iphone and call it a day!

Anonymous

tinyurl.com/24n4nqb

jmo

Uh… isn’t there a version out for non-rooted? Pretty sure there is since I’m rocking that on my completely stock phone.

Honestly, I’m a bit surprised by all the complaining and whining coming from the majority of TB owners. Obviously some don’t want to take the risks associated with rooting one’s device, but isn’t this better than not having ANY access to the Netflix service? I assume that Netflix is on its way to officially supporting other hardware, but for the time being it’s at least a start.

At least be a little grateful, minor inconvenience or not.

Booboolala2000

Sounds like a lot of work just to stream old movies. Appreciate the hard work from the dev though. I’m fine with hbo go for now. Would really like to stream from Amazon (can now, sometimes, just very poor quality.

Cjreyes666

running gingeritis rom is already preloaded and its great having gingerbread netflix its just a plus

Jeremy Gentry

i tried getting this rom and installing it on my rooted droid. i had no signal and no 3g….??? not sure whats going on maybe you could shed some light! thanks! 🙂

Jaysckap

did you flash the gingerbread radio?

The Thunder Rolls

do you have to flash the radio after the rom? everytime i flash the radio it doesnt change the signal status and i have to reroot my phone. if you could email me that would be amazing! [email protected]

Sam Fusco

You have to be rooted? Wow. What a waste of my time this was.

Anonymous

Its in the original post…. Not sure why you guys come in after already reading that it was not for you. Seems lots of you have nothing but time to waste.

David18ucf

He is just stating that it is pathetic that Android can’t get it right, ever media device on the market can at least play Netflix…

Dmitri

No, he’s stating that it was a waste of his time to read the post in the hope of downloading it, then reading the comments only to find out it’s rooted. You really do see the negative commenters through rose colored glasses.

It’s all on XDA in great detail. It is not as simple as many of the other phones, but it is very simple if you follow the directions. You will need to do some reading and studying before jumping in.

eddieonofre

talk about dilemas
to get netflix you have to get rooted, but then wont get movies from google movies
or get google expensive movies rental but not netfilx

eddieonofre

talk about dilemas
to get netflix you have to get rooted, but then wont get movies from google movies
or get google expensive movies rental but not netfilx

Anonymous

is it that “risky” to root a tb? I’ve only owned a G-1 and Droid 2, both of which I’ve never encountered any risk of seriously “bricking” over rooting the phone. Why would you not root the phone anyways.. there is so much to be gained.

Anonymous

is it that “risky” to root a tb? I’ve only owned a G-1 and Droid 2, both of which I’ve never encountered any risk of seriously “bricking” over rooting the phone. Why would you not root the phone anyways.. there is so much to be gained.

Anonymous

It is very simple, but not as easy as it was on the D2. The D2 had a one click app, while this does not. The reason for this is because you have to flash 2 RUU’s which involves putting each on your sd card then taking it off. It’s not that big a deal, and as always most people blow things way out of proportion.

NotAdouche

@David18ufc Actually not that hard to root the tbolt. Took me 15 minutes. Check android central forums, and you’ll be less of a douche in no time. Well, maybe still a douche, but maybe a little less of a douche.

David18ucf

@notadouch – very active member of XDA already bud, rooting running bamf with my own custom theme. All I am saying is, for IT geeks like ourselves, sure this is fun to do – but the irony is that we act as if we are getting something special that no one else has – when in reality, every media device currently on the market can play Netflix – Android is the only phone that really cant get it right for CONSUMERS, not for the IT geeks that will love to root their device and jump through hoops just to watch The Office.

Matthew Otte

I understand both sides of this argument. It is a very valid argument that the Thunderbolt should have been one of the first Android phones that received the netflix app. Esp. since at the time of the app release it was one of two 4G phones out on Verizon and one of the new flagrunners for android. For an app an end user should not have to root his/her device just to use it.

That being said…

I understand the complex process of programming(I myself am a programmer and hope very shortly to start making my own apps) Also, rooting has come a long way since I first rooted my Droid 1.

My Thunderbolt was absolutly a breeze to root and the benefits of rooting are well documented. Do you have the right to complain about the app not being out for TB yet? Sure.Does every other TB user also feel slightly annoyed that they do not have netflix stock? Sure, I know I do. However, XDA has once again proven their greatness and provided you with a great work around…

Is this site in any way related to Netflix or their app teams?-No, here is not the place to bitch about it to other people.

In general, I do not believe one should have to hack their phones for basic functionality…This is why I do not have an IPhone. However, I am willing to root for extra goodies…in this case I am eagerly waiting for Netflix to come out stock as my current TB is not rooted for other reasons…. DAMN netflix!!!!

This won’t delete anything. It just replaces the lib files that determine how your device displays media. I was one of rmk’s initial testers, so trust me when I say this is flawless.

David18ucf

No offense, but this is a joke hahaha… I mean really? I have a TB, love it to death, I am also not a huge media person when it comes to Android… why? because they have failed in just about every aspect – are you seriously telling me that it is this absurd that you have to jsut about brick your phone in order to get something as basic as netflix going?

I know licensing issues and fragmentation have a lot to do with all of it – but really, between GPS and Media, Android has lost on both fronts… And it doesnt look like it will be resolved any time soon, especially when its compeitor, Apple – is killing them when it comes to media content, and how easy it is to play it…

Anonymous

Just about brick your phone to get netflix?

I don’t understand what you are saying. Why would you have to just about brick your phone?

A third grader could follow the simple instructions of how to do this stuff. But you are right that it’s not for everyone. But why you guys are even bothering posting in this thread when you have no interest.

David18ucf

You are missing the point…

Retrokid223

you only brick your phone if you don’t know what the hell your doing! My GPS is perfectly fine and media is perfect also with the variety of apps. if you want apple’s way of media then get a iphail and stick to itunes…

David18ucf

Really, media is fine? How do you watch/rent the latest movie? is this easily done? no – in fact, other then torrenting a movie/show then plugging in your phone to copy it over, then downloading an app to play the file OR re-encoding it to play with the player, is a hella lot a work… the droid cant play netflix, it cant play hulu (without having to root and jump through hoops) EVERY media device on the market can do this..

Dmitri

There are other services besides netflix and hulu…my choice of media is converting a DVD to a file viewable on my phone. Compared to the trouble I received on the iphone, the droid is a cakewalk. I was also under the impression that Hulu and Netflix didn’t work on Blackberry devices, and Hulu isn’t available on Windows Phone 7 without a workaround, either. So stating every other media device can do this is kind of an exaggeration…

Ace87

Almost there…

Chris

wtf. how about netflix on a non rooted thunderbolt since i dont feel like bricking my phone or even rooting it

Anonymous

Its not hard to do….

I didn’t like my phone until I rooted.

Worth it 100%

Chris

yea i know its not hard to do. i rooted my droid also. and had problems with it from the moment i rooted it. even though i dont have a rooted thunderbolt i’m still glad they have a hacked netflix app working for a rooted thunderbolt. but im not going to root my new thunderbolt and take a chance of having problems again just for netflix. so wih all the problems that were caused by rooting my droid and the small chance of bricking my thunderbolt and voiding my warranty i don’t think its 100 % worth it.

Anonymous

I would be happy to help you fix the issues with your Droid. No issue is caused by rooting… What issue did you have?

Chris

it was running slow and freezing constantly.and one time didnt even turn on until i managed to get to the root screen and restore the droid to factory settings. then it worked again non rooted.

Anonymous

How many people actually USE that warranty they are so afraid of voiding?

Retrokid223

None Chris sounds like like the type of guy who doesn’t know how to use “ADB” and rely on 1 click methods

Chris

i never use the warranty. i dont even care about it. i rooted my old droid and just restored it to factory settings before bringing it in. that has nothing to do with why i dont wanna read. try reading a little more and you will figure out the reason. its not that hard

Anonymous

Ok…I know what you mean, I’ve had that happen with my original Droid when I had it. I understand that you had the problem after you rooted which led you to believe it was the rooting that caused the problem. It was not rooting that was the problem, and if you still had the phone I could help you get it running flawlessly while being rooted. You may no longer have the phone so it probably doesn’t matter. But what I want you to know from all this is that rooting is not the cause of software issues. You can have problems with your software when you are not rooted as well as if you are rooted. It’s just a matter of fixing the issues…I would be happy to help you.

Anonymous

I’ll get right on that. While I’m doing so, I’ll also see about locating your missing pair.

Chris

are you kellex? or are you part of XDA? nope you are neither so i really wasn’t asking you

Anonymous

Gee, some very kind people from XDA go through a lot of hard work to get a working Netflix app. And because you don’t want to change your phone in any way to be able to run it, instead of “thanks,” your first response is “wtf.” Stay classy, my friend.

Chris

well that comment was mostly directed towards the netflix company. but since the netflix company wont be browsing an android forum i posted it for Kellex (since he posted this article) and XDA(since they released the hacked app). Of course I’m thankful for the hacked app for rooted thunderbolts. if you look down you will even see a comment where i said that. So the “wtf” was for netflix for taking so long to release an official netflix app and the other part was for XDA and netflix to release a netflix app for a nonrooted android phone. hacked or official. try reading a few more comments before making assumptions about someones comment.

Anonymous

Sorry, but no. That’s the lamest excuse for a terribly rude comment that I’ve ever heard. You don’t get to say that one sentence was directed towards Netflix and the other was directed as XDA. Doesn’t work that way, pal.

Chris

well if netflix was on droid-life then i’d say it to them directly. but somehow i doubt a major company like netflix would b browsing android forums. XDA may be good at hacking phones and apps but we all know they didn’t make the netflix app. yes i do love it when XDA hacks apps so people can use them on phones that shouldnt have the ability to use them like netflix. but i would much rather have the official netflix app. XDA has no control over that so why would i be talking about XDA releasing an official netflix app for nonrooted android phones when they can’t do that? i forgot that there are people like you on here. the idiots that need every single thing broken down and explained to you so u can understand it better. i will rephrase my first comment so maybe u will understand t better.

wtf. how about official netflix on a nonrooted android phone. i dont feel like bricking or rooting my phone.

see what one word can do? hope that helps u to understand better.

David18ucf

lol – your reading comprehension must not be very high… It is a fact that the Android platform sucks when it comes to media – other then IT geeks (which I am one) why would ANYONE want to go through rooting a phone just to be able to play a basic program like Netflix? This is a knock at Netflix AND android, NOT xda.. if it were not for XDA, then it wouldnt be possible period.

At

OH no! Someone was rude. WTF shall we do?

angermeans

sound like a spoiled little brat my friend. No one including netflix and especially the great devs at xda don’t owe you anything. You obviously don’t understand what needs to be done. The “hack” as y You ouvcall it is replacing something on your phone and you need root permission to achieve that. You don’t want to do that then you better start learning to code (and well cause it isn’t achievable without root), get a job for htc and release a better thunderbolt rom, or shut up and count your blessings that you have one the best phones around. For you to even make the assumption that some dev at xda needs to personally create a version of netflix just for you to use on your phone to stream netflix is propostorous.

Chris

lmao. actually netflix sort of does owe me something. as a paid subscriber they do owe me an app to watch movies that im paying them for. XDA obviously owes me nothing which is why i wasnt talking about them. i can tell u r one of those idiots also thats needs everything broken down so u can understand it better. i will say my first comment again and add just one word.

wtf. how about official netflix on a nonrooted android phone. i dont feel like bricking or rooting my phone.

notice the difference one word can do? i hope u can understand it better. and yea like i sad before. as a paid subscriber i have the right to complain that i want a netflix app on my thunderbolt. u even said it yourself. the thunderbolt is one of the best phones around and one of if not the best phones to watch netflix on. even better then iphones which have had netflix for a long time. have rooted my old droid also before i got the thunderbolt. i did like it. but i dont wanna root my phone just to watch netflix. i’d rather have netflix do their job and release an official app. even though i would prefer the official app i still appreciate the work they do since i usually download their apps. but like i said before i was never talking about XDA or kellex so why even mention them?

Anonymous

Cool story bro.

Anonymous

Cool story bro.

Dmitri

Didn’t you just mention Kellex and specifically say it was a post to him (i posted it for Kellex (since he posted this article)), and now you’re saying you never talked about him? You repeatedly say that netflix would never read an android forum, so your posts aren’t for them, but then you also repeatedly state your anger, and your posts, are geared towards netflix. I must be one of those stupid people who doesn’t understand you, because to me, nothing you say makes sense.

Very simple, you purchased a service from netflix that never stated anything about being able to watch movies on your phone. They don’t owe you anything, and if you think they do, then you should be speaking to them (instead of calling people idiots in an android forum, which, you repeatedly state, netflix does not view).

Kellex is reporting about a big deal that a lot of people have been eagerly waiting for, and XDA developers have spent a lot of time working on. If you can’t use it, either root like the rest of the people, or go complain to the people that can actually do something about it (Netflix).

well since the 4g thunderbolt is one of it not the best phone to watch netflix on and it still doesnt have official netflix support after all these months then yea i have a good reason to complain. maybe netflix should hire a high school computer class to work on the netflix app. i’m sure they can get it done alot quicker. since it took XDA like a week to do what it took netflix a few months to do.

angermeans

Are you serious? Do you have any clue as to what it takes to code an app especially when any hardware company can make an android device. You are a whiny little brat and you need to take this somewhere else. As for me I appreciate the work the xda devs do and that is the reason I have spent countless hours learning adb, basic linux, and how my devices work so I can get the most out of my phones. If you don’t wan tto do that then that is fine but you have no right to say anything as you are one consumer on one device on one platform and really no one owes you shit. So instead of Netflix “hiring a highschool’class” to code a working Netflix application for your viewing pleasure why don’t you either code one yourself or be a man and learn to root your phone so you can get these unreleased features you care enough to talk shit about.

Chris

lmao. another idiot. like i already said so many times i was never talking about XDA. I did mention them but i was talking about netflix. read the comment again and u will see for yourself. and as a paid subscriber to netflix they do owe me something. NOT XDA since i never mentioned them. I’m talking about netflix. and even if i did know how to code an app that wouldn’t matter since it still wouldnt b an official netflix app. by “official” i mean made by the original company. maybe u should think a little bit before u post the comments? and yes i did root my old phone before i got the thunderbolt. and i can still root my thunderbolt and even download the netflix app from the XDA forum but it still won’t be an official netflix app. It would be good for now but it still wont be official so its not worth it. netflix should just do their job and give me and other paid subscribers what we want. because i gurantee u i’m not the only one who feels this way.

Dmitri

What do they owe you? Can you point out to me anywhere in the contract where they stated you would be able to watch movies on your phone? More importantly, have you done anything about it other than calling everybody on here idiots? That’s the problem with people today: instead of being happy and thankful with a service that went above and beyond, they get nasty and claim the company “owes” them.

David18ucf

sigh… dude – grow up – imagine you are talking to a normal person, someone that doesnt know anything about technology (which is an overwhelming majority) and they ask you ‘Hey Friend, I want to play netflix on a phone, which smartphone should I buy?’ – of course you could argue ‘well Friend, go ahead and get the droid, all you have to do is spend a ffew hours reading through forums to root, and even then you might run into issues, but anyway, once you do that, download the .apk file from x link, and then reflash it on your phone and BAM you have netflix’ OR ‘get an iPhone, or Windows Phone 7 and download the app from the market’

Like it or not, apple lover or hater etc… that is how it is – so you can understand the frustration of 99 percent of the Android base when they are pissed that they cant even stream netflix without dedicated time an energy when neither should be associated with something so simple…

David18ucf

sigh… dude – grow up – imagine you are talking to a normal person, someone that doesnt know anything about technology (which is an overwhelming majority) and they ask you ‘Hey Friend, I want to play netflix on a phone, which smartphone should I buy?’ – of course you could argue ‘well Friend, go ahead and get the droid, all you have to do is spend a ffew hours reading through forums to root, and even then you might run into issues, but anyway, once you do that, download the .apk file from x link, and then reflash it on your phone and BAM you have netflix’ OR ‘get an iPhone, or Windows Phone 7 and download the app from the market’

Like it or not, apple lover or hater etc… that is how it is – so you can understand the frustration of 99 percent of the Android base when they are pissed that they cant even stream netflix without dedicated time an energy when neither should be associated with something so simple…

Retrokid223

all of what months? netflix for android has only been out for atleast a month. we need to hire a babysitter to keep your whiny little bratty bitchy mouth shut.

Chris

yea but how many months has netflix been available on iphone? and then when they finally release netflix on android they release it for phones like the incredible 1. not the incredible 2. the first one. and not even the droid x or the thunderbolt or atrix. u know? the ones with the biggest screens that it would look best one.

Jaysckap

so now your calling the devs on xda high school kids? grow some balls dude

Chris

lmao really? u think i called XDA high school kids? lmao. maybe u should read my comment again because i think u had trouble understanding exactly wut i said

David18ucf

Uhh, if you own a droid phone, and you pay for netflix, you can complain – most of this is just opinions about how rediculous android/netflix both are when it comes to their app..

Anonymous

Don’t feel like bricking your phone or even rooting it…. lol

Thanks for the humor!

Chris

yea. the only way to get a rooted phone would be to root it. i thought the term alone explained that. and if you do one wrong thing while messing with the internal settings you can brick your phone. very small chance of that since i rooted my droid but thats not even the main reason. when i perfectly rooted my droid i have problems from the moment i rooted it. so im curious where the humor is?

Anonymous

If you perfectly rooted anything you would not have had problems with it. And if you did you should realize all issues are very easily resolved. If you don’t know this you should not be messing with it in the first place. It is not for everyone. If you have an issue with your phone just spend a little time with someone that can help you fix it. I know it can be frustrating reading countless posts from others that just send you in circles. But the answers are out there and it should be easy finding the guys that really know how to help you.

angermeans

Kt sounds as if you are one of the many that expect things like one click root methods and then just expect your phone to need no manual upkeep. You are right you don’t need to be rooting your phone ans to be hinest are the reason that we are seeing such a massive lock down from wireless carriers as you refuse to take the time to learn (I can promise you that if you had a problem after rooting then someone else has had the same and it has been posted/asked/fixed on xda but you

Jdpj2008

Why wouldn’t you want to buy something and expect it to work? I buy a lawnmower I don’t expect to have to put a blade on it. And basically the guy is calling out Android in a sarcastic way.

Killershade

I don’t think that its been possible to brick your phone since the earliest rooting method of the G1.

But keep the fear and delusion up!

Chris

try reading the comments a little more and even you will see the real reason why i dont wanna root

Anonymous

it does work on an unrooted HTC THUNDARBOLT

Thetimhowell

WAIT! is this going to delete all my media? like music and pictures?

Retrokid223

no running it on my thunderbolt now and it does not delete media files